


He's Got Fight Stories to Tell

by cavlarycaptain



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Homophobic Language, Light Angst, M/M, basically Neil's toxic masculinity is taking a toll on Billy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 10:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19354822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cavlarycaptain/pseuds/cavlarycaptain
Summary: Billy thinks he's weak. Steve thinks Billy is the strongest person he's ever met.





	He's Got Fight Stories to Tell

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Frank Ocean's [Chanel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnbsIl2BnWw)

Billy pulls away, hissing as Steve presses a damp washcloth to his temple.

“Damn it Steve, give a guy a little warning why don’t you?” Billy says while glaring at Steve, dropping the glare when Steve doesn’t falter.

“You can go bare knuckle with one of the biggest guys in our school but you can’t handle a little soap and water?” Steve says, smirking when Billy remains silent. He brings the cigarette between his fingers up to his mouth and inhales. 

“Any specific reasons why you felt the need to take on David Rafferty?” Steve says, ringing out the towel in to the basin next to him. Billy exhales and puts out the cigarette in the ashtray.

“Bored,” Billy responds, but it comes out more as a question than a statement. Steve leans against his kitchen table and waits for Billy to tell him the truth. Billy looks up at him, silently taking a stance against Steve’s unspoken demands. Steve rolls his eyes and picks up the water basin, walking over to the skin and dumping it out.

“I don’t know why you always feel like you have fight someon-“ Steve starts, but then he’s cut off by Billy.

“Do you think I’m weak?” Billy says, looking up at Steve. Steve’s eyes widen, not just thrown off by the question, but Billy’s vulnerability as well. A painful silence takes over the room while Steve calculates his response. Then it dawns on him. 

“This is about Neil isn’t it?” Steve says, and while it’s a question, it’s said as a statement, juxtaposing Billy’s earlier tone. Billy instinctually flinches, not just at the mention of his father’s name, but the malice that drops from Steve’s voice as he says it.“It is isn't?” Steve asks and Billy lets out a humorless laugh. 

Steve thinks about all the times Billy’s waited to put his earring in until he's in his car, not wanting to do it around Neil for fear of being scrutinized. How Billy will admire himself in a mirror, just to abruptly stop because he doesn’t want to be seen as a “faggot” as Neil once called him. How Billy would rather be mad than be sad because showing anything but anger makes you seem, _weak_.

Steve thinks about all of these things, and then he just thinks about Billy. How Billy’s the first one to comfort Steve when Steve is the one that’s hurting. How Billy’s masquerading around with a tough exterior. How Billy has put on a brave face, as if none of what Neil does gets to him. Steve looks at the injuries on Billy's face and takes everything in. 

Billy's not fighting to prove a point to the school or David Rafferty, he fights to prove a point to his dad. He fights to prove a point that he isn't weak. He fights to prove a point to himself, but this is a fight Steve doesn't think Billy's needs to fight alone anymore. 

“Billy, baby, I don’t think you’re weak,” Steve says, grabbing Billy’s hands and rubbing his fingers over his knuckles, "In fact, I think you’re one of the strongest people I know.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Was this good? I'm still up in the air if this was good or not. I spent a lot of time thinking of and rewriting the structure of this story and I'm still a little hesitant about how it ended up. Please let me know what you think, feedback is so so appreciated because it's the only way I get better at writing. 
> 
> Also Chanel is one of my favorite songs and I've been desperate to see it applied to Harringrove so I decided to just do it myself. If anyone wants to write their own approach to the song please let me know because I would love to read it!


End file.
